


Recover: #20

by Ignisentis



Series: 32 Ways To Say I Love You [20]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22532248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignisentis/pseuds/Ignisentis
Summary: Steve gets hurt on a mission, and Bucky handles the aftermath.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: 32 Ways To Say I Love You [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602352
Comments: 18
Kudos: 196





	Recover: #20

**Author's Note:**

> A little bit of hurt/comfort today!

Bucky’s out running some errands when his phone vibrates in his pocket. Most of the team is out on a mission, and they aren’t supposed to get back until late tonight, so he’s not sure who would be calling him. He pulls his phone out and looks at the screen: its Jarvis. Bucky’s stomach drops, and he steps out of the checkout line to go answer the call.

“Yeah,” he grits out, throat tight with concern.

“ _ There’s been an incident during the mission, sir. If you could please return to the Tower as soon as you’re able, _ ” Jarvis says in his calm, melodic voice.

“Steve?” Bucky asks, heart thudding in his chest.

“ _ He was involved. Please return to the Tower and I will give you as much information as I have _ .”

Bucky ends the call and stuffs his phone back in his pocket. He starts walking out of the store, finding an employee along the way so he can hand off his basket, apologizing for having to leave suddenly.

He’s only a ten-minute walk from the Tower, but he runs back instead and ends up back on his and Steve’s floor in 6 minutes. “Jarvis?” he calls out.

“ _ The situation is contained, but Captain Rogers was seriously injured. He’s on a Quinjet now, estimated arrival is 45 minutes. _ ”

“What are his injuries?”

“ _ He sustained two gunshot wounds in his torso. Neither are life-threatening, though he will need immediate surgery upon his return to the Tower. The medical team is prepping the operating theater now, and they’ve indicated you are welcome to join them and wait for his arrival.” _

“Thank you. Yeah. I. Okay.” Bucky makes his way to the elevator, and Jarvis takes him to the medical floor. Two gunshot wounds? Steve’s uniform is supposed to be armored enough to keep that from happening.

There’s a nurse waiting for him when he steps off the elevator, and he takes Bucky to a room overlooking the sink area where Dr. Cho is scrubbing in. 

“Early indication is that the bullets missed all the important internal organs, but we’ll see what we’re dealing with when he gets here. He’ll be fine, Bucky. I’ll recommend a full two weeks for recovery, even though he won’t need that long physically,” Dr. Cho tells him with a wink.

Bucky nods his thanks, feeling like he can exhale for the first time since Jarvis called him. Steve’s been injured on missions before, and Bucky holds it together as best he can, but it always makes him feel like the floor is falling out from under his feet. He feels jittery and nauseated, and he’s thankful Steve’s injuries aren’t worse, but he won’t feel better until Steve’s out of surgery and he can see him and sit with him, touch his hand, hear Steve apologize for worrying him.

It’s going to be a long afternoon.

There’s a flurry of activity when the Quinjet lands, and Bucky wants to see Steve immediately, needs to just see him with his own eyes, but he knows he’d just get in the way of the medical staff who need the space to do their jobs. Plus, Natasha will find him in the waiting room as soon as she can, so he goes there and settles in to wait. 

Sure enough, Natasha comes in fifteen minutes later, favoring her left side, a bandage on her forehead. Bucky raises his eyebrow at her. 

“I’ll be fine,” she waves him off, grunting as she sits down in the chair next to him.

“How did the bullets go through his suit?” Bucky asks her.

“Armor piercing,” she replies. “But kind of shitty ones. They got through Steve’s suit, but not too far into his body, no internal explosion or anything. He’s lucky.”

Bucky huffs but he doesn’t disagree. Sounds like it could have been a lot worse. He forces himself to roll his shoulders and drop them down some. The tension is starting to give him a headache.

“Everyone else okay?” he asks.

Natasha nods. “A few cuts and scrapes and bruises, but Steve got the worst of it.”

Bucky bumps her shoulder lightly. “Thanks. You can go home now, get some rest. I’ll be all right.”

“Think I’ll stay here and wait with you, if that’s okay.”

Bucky nods his agreement, and they both settle in to wait.

Dr. Cho comes and finds them four hours later. Bucky stands up, a spike of anxiety shooting through his belly.

“Everything went perfectly,” she tells them, and Bucky sits back down in relief. “We got both bullets out, no shrapnel splintered off of them, so the wounds are very clean. He’s resting now, but he’ll be back to normal in no time. I’ll take you to him, if you want,’ she says, holding out her hand to Bucky. He takes it and lets her pull him back to his feet.

“Thank you,” he says, suddenly exhausted. Natasha thanks her too, moving to stand on the other side of Bucky in case he needs extra support. The three of them make their way out of the waiting area and down the hallway to Steve’s recovery room. There’s a large armchair that’s been pulled close to the bed, a stack of pillows and bedding sitting on a bench under the room’s window. And Steve, laying in the bed, sleeping off the anesthesia.

“We brought in a new chair for you,” Dr. Cho tells Bucky. “It reclines like a normal recliner so you can put your feet up, but it also goes completely horizontal so you can use it as a bed. Steve will be here overnight for observation, and if everything goes well, he’ll be able to go home with you tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s good,” Bucky says, eyes on Steve like they have been since he walked into the room.

Dr. Cho shares a smile with Natasha, and both of them manage to shuffle Bucky over to the chair and get him seated before they leave. “I’ll check back in later,” Natasha says, though Bucky doesn’t really hear her.

“Hey,” he says, once the women have gone. “You asshole, I can’t believe you went and got yourself shot again.” He picks up Steve’s hand gently, just letting Steve’s palm rest on his so he doesn’t jostle the IV line taped down to the back of his hand. “You’re gonna be okay in like a week, so that’s good. I’d appreciate it if you could not get injured for at least a few months, though, you know how I worry.”

Bucky feels exhausted suddenly, crashing as the adrenaline he’s been running on since Jarvis called him finally works its way from his body now that he can see with his own eyes that Steve’s breathing. He tips his head forward and rests it on the bed next to Steve’s leg and falls asleep like that.

He wakes with a groan a few hours later: super soldier or not, falling asleep in that position is hell on his neck. He hears Steve huff at him fondly, and he looks up to see Steve’s awake and smiling softly at him.

“Hey, Buck,” he croaks, and Bucky lets go of his hand to pour him a glass of water from the small pitcher on his bedside tray.

“How do you feel?” Bucky asks, putting a straw in the cup and holding it up to Steve’s lips. He takes a few sips and Bucky sets the cup back down on the tray.

“Floaty,” Steve grins. Ah, they must have given him the really good stuff.

“Floaty, huh?” Bucky grins at him.

“Yeah. You’re real pretty, you know that?”

“I do. You tell me all the time.”

“‘S cause I’m smart. That’s why I tell you,” Steve slurs. Bucky smiles at him. He’s always so affectionate on the good stuff. 

“Yeah.”

“And cause you  _ are _ real pretty. Look at those eyes, jeez.”

“Okay, Romeo, that’s —”

“And that jaw. Those lips.” Steve sighs, and his eyes start looking watery, his lips wobbly. Oh, no.

“Steve, it’s okay, babe.”

“No, it’s not!” Steve’s face crumples, and he starts crying. Shit, what kind of dose did they  _ give _ him?

“You’re so pretty, and I got shot, and I bet that made you mad and then sad! I’m sorry I made you sad!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, honey. It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay, I’m not mad or sad anymore, all right?” Bucky stands up and moves to the edge of the bed, reaching down to cup Steve’s face, wiping away the tears that are streaming down his face. Steve blinks up at him, tears clinging to his eyelashes. He looks devastated, and Bucky knows it’s mostly the medicine, but it still tugs at his heartstrings. “Do you believe me?”

Steve nods and closes his eyes. Bucky leans down and kisses his forehead, then each eyelid, his cheekbones, the bridge of his nose. Steve makes a little happy sound with each featherlight kiss, so Bucky keeps kissing and kissing him. He kisses his lips last, and Steve sighs happily. His breathing evens out as the painkillers lull him back to sleep.

Bucky takes the opportunity to recline the chair and set up the covers. It’s early evening now, so he might as well sleep when Steve does.

Steve is well enough the next day that they let Bucky take him home with strict care instructions, though they’re mostly for show at this point. Bucky’s done this before, and he’ll do it again. Steve sleeps most of the next two days as his body heals, and Bucky reads and bakes, watches some TV, takes naps, changes Steve’s bandages when necessary, tries to get as many calories in him as possible. The Avengers all stop by at one point or another, to check in on Steve, but also to check in on Bucky. Tony, Sam, and Thor bring food, which Bucky appreciates. He’s not entirely sure what Thor’s dish actually is, but he appreciates the gesture all the same.

Steve’s awake more on the third day, so Bucky goes into their room with an armful of books and settles down next to Steve on the bed. He shoves some pillows behind his back so he’s comfortable leaning up against the headboard. Steve scoots in as close as he can without putting too much pressure on his wounds and leans a pillow against Bucky’s hip so he can rest his head on it.

They have pretty much every audiobook ever recorded available through Jarvis, but Bucky knows Steve would rather hear Bucky’s voice, so he always reads to him while he’s convalescing. Bucky likes it, too, likes being able to be close to Steve, likes knowing it’s helping Steve stay still and heal.

“What are we reading today?” Steve asks.

“‘The Fifth Season,’ by N.K. Jemisin,” Bucky tells him. “I’ve heard good things. It’s the first book in a trilogy, so I thought it would be a perfect recovery series.”

Steve hums in agreement. “Sounds good, Bucky, thank you.”

Bucky runs his fingers through Steve’s hair and smiles down at him. “You’re welcome.” He cracks open the book and starts reading.

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
